Staff Reports
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California loudly urged invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump after a clip from a Nebraska rally went viral. He called the president “mentally ill” and “deranged,” demanded action, and ordered state threat-monitoring steps. The move is loud, theatrical, and worth examining — not because it will likely succeed, but because it reveals how politics works in the age of viral outrage.
Newsom’s demand: dramatic words, predictable politics
Governor Gavin Newsom said, “Donald Trump is mentally ill. TIME FOR THE 25TH!” He followed that with posts calling the president “deranged and dangerous” and criticized the silence of Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Newsom also told California’s State Threat Assessment Center to monitor whether foreign actors might misread the president’s words. This is a clear political rebuke. It’s also a message aimed at national audiences and his base — loud, sharp, and designed to dominate the news cycle.
Context: what President Trump actually said at the Nebraska rally
At the Nebraska rally, President Donald Trump made a line that spread quickly: “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego… This is a very small price to pay.” Clips of that sentence went viral and sparked outrage. The White House and spokespeople, including White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, pushed back hard, saying the president was talking about preventing a nuclear Iran and that critics were whipping up a media freakout. Fact‑checkers note the clip lacked fuller context and that the line sits inside a longer point about foreign threats and economic tradeoffs.
25th Amendment reality: not a fast lane to ouster
Legal hurdles and the political truth
The 25th Amendment’s Section 4 is for real medical or administrative incapacity. It requires the vice president plus a majority of Cabinet (or a Congress‑designated body) to act — and if the president objects, Congress gets the final say. In plain English: it’s a high bar, not a political panic button. Saying someone is “mentally ill” on X or TV does not flip that switch. If Newsom wants to make a constitutional point, fine — but theatrics don’t turn into votes or legal findings. That’s why calls for the 25th in partisan fights are mostly symbolic.
Security steps, political theater, and why this matters
Ordering state threat monitoring was a concrete, sensible move by the governor. Protecting Los Angeles and San Diego is not a stunt; monitoring potential reactions is prudent. But mixing that with grand constitutional demands feeds the spectacle. Democrats and media will keep invoking the drama. Republicans should call out both the real security concerns and the political theater. Cooler heads should press for calm, a full review of the speech context, and clear, fact‑based briefings — not more viral outrage. Watch whether Vice President J.D. Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio respond. For now, Newsom has grabbed headlines. Whether he changes reality is another matter.
